Discovering Halong Bay by Kayak

We recently asked Liezl Eksteen, Shore Excursion Manager of the Azamara Quest to share with us one of her favorite tours with Azamara Club Cruises®. Take a look at what her response was.

If you're looking for a different and fun way to experience Halong Bay, I can assure you a kayak tour is the best way to go. Though notorious for being misty this time of the year, the scenery was incredibly dramatic as it created a mystical- almost magical type of environment with the limestone rock formations producing truly beautiful reflections on the water.

Seeing the other boats pass us with the rock formations in the background made for great photos ops and at times, it felt as if we were part of a scene from "Pirates of the Caribbean".

The journey to our kayak destination took approximately 1.5 – 2 hours and guests had the opportunity to stay inside the junkboat or make use of the sundeck to enjoy the spectacular scenery in a truly tranquil environment. This route is a little more off the beaten track than the normal Halong Bay by Boat tour, but talk about destination immersion!

Once at anchor, the kayaks were brought to the boat and the brightly colored orange and yellow of the kayaks against the water and rock formations presented yet another great photo opportunity.

Once our lifejackets were snug and secure and we were sitting comfortably in our kayaks, our guide shared important paddle instructions with us before setting off for two hours of kayaking. The sense of peace and tranquility was simply overwhelming. You heard nothing but the soothing sounds of paddles gliding through water. Along the way, the local mountain monkey made an appearance - which only served to enhance the trip even more.

Once back on board, we were treated to a delicious seafood buffet of prawns, crab, calamari, springrolls, fish with rice and cabbage as well as fruit for desert. Many guests then moved to the deck to rest on the loungers while the boat returned to the jetty.